The Evolution of the ''Marching Woman'' Form
I first developed this form for a 2009 exhibition called "Her Story Making History". The exhibition highlighted that history is often told from a male perspective - "his story" - and I sought to tell the story of some women whose position in the historical record should be just as visible - "her story". You can see the full gallery of images and text for this exhibition.
'Celebrate' was the name for the form in this exhibition. Here are the original pieces and text that went with them.
In 2010, at the Toyota Indoor Outdoor Exhibition, I revisited this form. This time, I explored the evolution of the "Women's Movement" (and that was the title of the piece). I used women's magazine covers as one methodology to observe the evolution of perceptions around women's roles and positions in 20th century society. I gathered up magazine covers from 1904 (a very early New Idea) to contemporary times. The covers were attached, in time order, to a windy path and I located 60 of what had become "Marching Women" on that path. What was most intriguing was that topics in early magazines were very diverse and interesting. However, rapidly, they devolved into the dross that we still see today, dominated by image and subservient roles to men. The final magazine on the path was "Woman Engineer".
Here is some detail from some of the forms I built (they are all different).
Before I began my career as a ceramic artist I worked for a domestic violence agency facilitating an anti-bullying/welfare program in schools. The program's aim was to 'change a culture of violence and create a culture of wellbeing'. For many years, I have wanted somehow do the same with my ceramic art - the "Rise Up" project (supported by a grant from the Bacchus Marsh Community Bank) is the crystallisation of this. I had already successfully undertaken a few workshops teaching people how to build the "Marching Woman" form, and I decided to use it for this project - it remains primarily a celebration of the strength and resilience of women.
In a series of workshops over 4 months I had 133 workshop participants each create two Marching Women sculptures. One to keep and the other to donate and be part of an exhibition and fund-raiser to support victims of domestic violence. The workshops with the fund-raising exhibition were held in February 2017 at the BMAC Gallery in Bacchus Marsh and raised over $6,500 for DV and went toward funding a children's art therapy van.
Since then I have continued to make my Marching Woman form and am sure I will have another fundraiser event with this form in the future. I still have people today express how much they got from being part of it and hope to be part of it again.
In a series of workshops over 4 months I had 133 workshop participants each create two Marching Women sculptures. One to keep and the other to donate and be part of an exhibition and fund-raiser to support victims of domestic violence. The workshops with the fund-raising exhibition were held in February 2017 at the BMAC Gallery in Bacchus Marsh and raised over $6,500 for DV and went toward funding a children's art therapy van.
Since then I have continued to make my Marching Woman form and am sure I will have another fundraiser event with this form in the future. I still have people today express how much they got from being part of it and hope to be part of it again.